PROJECT Out Of The Box House
LOCATION Bethesda, Maryland, US
PROJECT COMPLETION DATE 2/1/2016
ARCHITECT Platonic Architects
ASSOCIATED ARCHITECT Will Cawood - Cawood Architects
OWNER/CLIENT Brooke & Lindsey Christian
CONTRACTOR / CONSTRUCTION MANAGER Robert Lange - Lange Development LLC
PHOTOGRAPHER Anice Hoachlander - Hoachlander Davis Photography
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN TEAM Michael Belisle
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT
Out Of The Box House
This house began with one central question: How do you make a rectangular box not look and feel like a rectangular box? The clients’ need for a house that could accommodate an extended family (6 bedrooms), thereby maximizing the footprint of the house, and the small site (under 6,000 sf) were pointing to just that: A rectangular box. Fortunately, the clients’ strong desire for a variety of both interior and exterior spaces for entertaining, recreating, and relaxing provided the strategy for “going outside of the box”.
After a careful examination of the County’s new zoning regulations every zoning exception was exploited. Exceptions for yard setbacks led to projecting bays for the living room, dining room, stair hall, and screen porch. The front porch was articulated by a flat, plate steel roof and the garage bay was indented. Eroding the 3rd floor led to two green roof decks: a formal one facing the street and an informal one facing the backyard. This 3rd floor was made possible by exploiting a new change in the County’s determination of the building height for a flat roof.
This strategy of progression/regression created and enhanced both interior and exterior spaces. The material selections for the exterior were chosen to reinforce this strategy: The basic rectangle is light stucco and the projections/indentations are western red cedar. The majority of the 1st floor was left completely open with a folding glass wall opening to the deck, screen porch, patio, and yard.
MEDIA FOR DOWNLOAD
Project PDF
IMAGE CAPTIONS & CREDITS
IMAGE 1 South Elevation Detail Night - Anice Hoachlander
IMAGE 2 North Elevation Night - Anice Hoachlander
IMAGE 3 Family Room - Anice Hoachlander
IMAGE 4 SE Elevation Night - Anice Hoachlander
IMAGE 5 SW Elevation Day - Anice Hoachlander
IMAGE 6 Stair - Anice Hoaclander
IMAGE 7 Wet Bar - Anice Hoachlander
IMAGE 8 Kitchen - Anice Hoachlander
Out Of The Box House
Category
Local > AIA Potomac Valley > Residential Architecture (AIA Potomac Valley) > Residential Architecture - New Construction (AIA Potomac Valley)
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